Sean O’Malley will make the first defence of his bantamweight title at UFC 299 this weekend, as he fights Marlon “Chito” Vera in a rematch four years in the making.
Vera remains the only fighter to have beaten “Sugar Sean”, having injured the American’s leg in their 2020 clash before sealing a TKO on the canvas. In the time since, the Ecuadorian has scored stunning knockouts of ex-champions Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz in a 5-2 run.
Meanwhile, O’Malley has put together a 5-0 stretch while rapidly scaling the rankings, with a narrow win over former champion Petr Yan giving way to a title shot last August. In that bout, O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to take the belt.
In the co-main event of UFC 299, former interim champion Dustin Poirier faces French prospect Benoit Saint-Denis, with their lightweight bout scheduled for five rounds. Before that, Bellator standout Michael “Venom” Page makes his long-awaited UFC debut, as the Briton fights Kevin Holland at welterweight.
And there’s plenty more to this stacked card. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When is UFC 299?
UFC 299 is scheduled to take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday 9 March.
The early prelims are set to begin at 11pm GMT (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am GMT on Sunday 10 March (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am GMT on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday).
How can I watch it?
The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
Odds
O’Malley – 2/5; Vera – 2/1
Poirier – 7/4; Saint-Denis – 4/9
Holland – 4/5; Page – 20/21
Via Betway. Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers.
Full card (subject to change)
Main card
Sean O’Malley (C) vs Marlon “Chito” Vera 2 (bantamweight title)
Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight – five rounds)
Kevin Holland vs Michael “Venom” Page (welterweight)
Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight)
Petr Yan vs Song Yadong (bantamweight)
Prelims
Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida (heavyweight)
Katlyn Chookagian vs Maycee Barber (women’s flyweight)
Mateusz Gamrot vs Rafael dos Anjos (lightweight)
Pedro Munhoz vs Kyler Phillips (bantamweight)
Early prelims
Ion Cutelaba vs Philipe Lins (light-heavyweight)
Michel Pereira vs Michal Oleksijczuk (middleweight)
Robelis Despaigne vs Josh Parisian (heavyweight)
CJ Vergara vs Assu Almabayev (flyweight)
Joanne Wood vs Maryna Moroz (women’s flyweight)
